On Wednesday 2 September, IGS welcomed students from the University of Sydney’s Diploma of Language Studies for the second year of a growing collaboration.
The university students visited our Year 11 and Year 12 Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish classes, speaking with students about their experiences of continuing language study beyond secondary school.
Our students greatly valued the opportunity to hear directly from young people who have chosen to make languages part of their university studies. The visitors were enthusiastic and convincing ambassadors for language learning, highlighting the many ways in which languages can complement degrees in a wide range of disciplines and open valuable academic, professional and personal pathways.
They also shared an important – and perhaps unexpected – benefit of studying a language at university: the strong sense of community that can develop within smaller language classes. While many of their other university courses are attended by large numbers of students, their language classes have enabled them to get to know classmates whose principal degrees span many different fields. These connections have enriched their university experience and introduced them to people they may not otherwise have met.
The deliberately informal format allowed conversations to develop naturally. Rather than listening to formal presentations, IGS students were able to ask questions, exchange experiences and, in some classes, communicate with the visitors in the language they are studying. Each classroom conversation was different, but together they offered an engaging and authentic picture of where language learning can lead.
Thank you to Associate Professor Carolyn Stott of French and Francophone Studies in the University of Sydney’s School of Languages and Cultures for once again making this valuable visit possible. We look forward to continuing and further developing this collaboration next year.
